Gen Z has been having a tumultuous relationship with the job market for some time now. There are plenty of instances where the tech-savvy generation has shown an interest in traditional jobs like industrial manufacturing. Businesses in this domain have sought to capitalize on this interest. However, there has been one major problem – Only 6 out of 10 vacancies have been filled and many among the selected have left after some time.
The reasons cited for this behavior trend range from a lack of appropriate compensation to a lack of supportive culture and growth options. Nevertheless, as the prices of a college education, especially in the US keep rising up., more and more Gen Zers are finding themselves tapping their toes on the industrial job avenues. So, the question becomes how can manufacturing businesses create an employee engagement program that not only attracts but also retains Gen Z in the industrial job complex. Here’s a look at 5 essential steps businesses must take to enhance employee engagement in manufacturing:
5 Must-Have Employee Engagement Tactics in Manufacturing for Gen Z
Job Security = Social Security
Job security is a major issue for Gen Z and worker disengagement levels are higher than ever. For the industrial market, things are the same as for most other industries with the caveat of social security. Gen Z wants money for sure, however, it is not giving pay all the priority. It also wants security and respect as part of its job contract.
This is a win-win for those industrial manufacturers who are willing to invest in their workforce and enable them to bring out their best work at the site. They can employ several tactics like virtual coffee chats and water cooler sessions to build their team interaction levels. Further, they can also use mentorships (which we will discuss in detail later) to nurture Gen Z workers and help them gain through their job roles.
As per this article by Deloitte, promoting a work environment focused on health, safety, and comfort. Creating a comfortable working environment was important not only for attracting new talent but could also make the difference between keeping or losing employees to a competitor. And the needed improvements can be as intuitive as better lighting in the parking lot or improving the cafeteria.
This showcases the need for combining environment and people-friendly practices with a tech-centric work setup in the manufacturing environment.
Making Things Flexible
The global work landscape has changed since the pandemic and these changes also affect Gen Z’s expectations for manufacturing jobs. Recruiters in this domain must consider how they can make job roles both career-rewarding and flexible since Gen Z wants both.
This is one of the major reasons why a lot of Gen Z workers in the industrial sector have left their jobs recently. As per McKinsey, despite over 20 million Gen Zers reaching adulthood the percentage of them employed in the manufacturing sector has gone down from 8 to 7 percent. The general response for this has been increasing wages but this has not made Gen Z come back to work in this sector. In fact, Gen Z has often accepted lower wages for better quality of life factors like quality of peers and coworkers, meaningfulness of work, and work schedule flexibility.
This seems to indicate that workers are more inclined towards building strong working relations and working in healthy environments that can foster their career ambitions. The easiest solution to developing all of these is to create a digital-first working environment where employee engagement tactics can increase productivity and work satisfaction. Tactics like virtual coffee chats and watercooler moments enable human-to-human interaction and peer bonding. This enables both dynamic and flexible working situations leading to higher output and retention.
Don’t feel like reading through it all? Check this video for quick tips that help! There’s more in the blog tho, just FYI!
Mentorship for Employee Retention
Aside from a quality work environment, employee retention hinges heavily on career growth prospects. One of the best things employers can do to get Gen Z into manufacturing jobs is to create a robust mentorship program. There are several employee engagement platforms like LEAD that offer mentorship templates as well.
Mentorships are a de facto sign that the company people are working with is willing to invest in them. It acts as a social currency as well as career leverage for those who want to work it up and make it good. The key here lies in enabling professionals to grow their skills and enable them to make it better within the company as well as have prospects outside of the company.
It goes without saying that mentorship programs have a considerably positive impact on workforce output. When Gen Zers believe they are being pushed forward and supported they naturally want to put out their best work. This is a tremendous opportunity for businesses
Creating “Meaningful” Work
According to this Forbes article, Gen Z’s potential to bridge the skills gap, augment (and ultimately replace) an aging workforce, and drive transformation in manufacturing shouldn’t be underestimated. It is, Ernst & Young LLP Managing Director Marcie Merriman says, “incumbent upon industry leaders to adapt, listen, learn and engage with them – both proactively and strategically.”
That’s not to say it will be easy or that firms should overlook the rest of their workforce to bend to Gen Z’s every wish and whim. But by aligning with their expectations around authenticity, work-life integration, fairness, technology, and social impact, they can make the industry an attractive and sought-after career choice for the next wave of talent.
In a nutshell, the term “meaningful” has a very specific context for Gen Z workers. This refers to their actions having a noteworthy impact on their area of work or if not immediately, shaping up to be in the near future. Meaningful work is directly tied up with fulfillment from a job role and the likelihood of continuing with it in the longer term. This sense of purpose and relevance in action turns into a sense of belonging and enables workers to contribute ongoingly and scalably along with their forwarding career and experience.
Upticking the Tech-Curve
The rise of AI has changed the playing field for humanity and manufacturing is no exception. The rising bar for tech-savviness needed to work manufacturing jobs means older generations will be out-teched really soon. Now, Gen Z may be able to pick up the ball but it is entirely possible that they may not considering how quickly the tech can change.
As per The CEO Magazine’s, David Jepson,
“As the advancement of AI enables us to access increased amounts of information, and as robotic innovations allow us to delegate most of our daily tasks, we will have a lot more time to focus on value creation and innovation. It’s something, he adds, we are already seeing play out in Gen Z, a generation that, he believes “demand to be given the freedom to be creative and entrepreneurial. It’s a trend that will continue to strengthen.”
In this case, manufacturing companies must hire GEN Z with the intent of securing them against this tech erosion through mentorship programs. Companies must invest in regular reskilling and upskilling programs, particularly where it is possible to apprentice multiple workers into a mentorship program. On-site learning often goes further than all classroom learning and the toolbelt generation might find this to be a viable investment enough to go for manufacturing jobs.
How Should You Reach Out to Gen Z for Manufacturing Jobs?
Manufacturing is the bedrock of modern civilization but its charm has worn off in today’s world. As taking up risky employment and education becomes more and more difficult, keeping Gen Z from turning away demands creates a new approach to workforce management and analytics. This is where virtual coffee chat apps like LEAD offer a tremendous possibility of paradigm shifts in work culture and its resulting lucrativeness.
LEAD.bot is a team engagement platform available on Slack and Teams. It is an all-in-one team development software with features like virtual coffee chats, buddy programs, birthday celebrations & work anniversary celebrations, new hire onboarding programs, and Pulse Surveys.
LEAD.bot also offers cutting-edge Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) for big enterprises and institutions. Executive to mid-level managers use ONA to gain highly actionable insights and build strong workplace connections. Using this app enables developing innovative employee engagement ideas to connect employees and foster better organizational health, employee retention, and overall performance with this simple app!
LEAD.bot is a product of LEAD.app and we also LEAD.bot’s sister app Sunrize which showcases workplace attendance by graphs right on Slack! Book a demo now!
